Hello and welcome to my website!
Although best known for my work in Christian ministry, I previously worked as a Civil Servant for the British Government working in international trade negotiations. One of the highlights of this job included being a part of the first United Nations working party on the debt problem in developing countries. This, coupled with my next job in international banking, gave me a heart for the nations that I still have to this day.
At the same time as working in international banking, we also planted Woodside Church into an estate in Bedford in the late 1970’s, which came with a great set of challenges but many more joys. As the church grew, it became apparent that I had to take the difficult decision to leave banking and devote myself to leading the church. This wasn’t an easy choice, as I could have served the kingdom of God just as well in international banking as in church leadership, despite the reputation some bankers have today!
As Woodside continued to grow, we also began to plant churches across the Midlands area of the UK. As well as this I also served in different countries of the world, mainly teaching on prophetic ministry, setting people free and demolishing strongholds both in their own lives and thinking as well as in their cultures. I also served as part of the leadership team of Newfrontiers which included speaking at Stoneleigh Bible Week as well as Together on a Mission at Brighton.
This seemed to be my life until the year 2000, when it took a decidedly different turn. I stopped overseeing church planting in the UK and started working in the Russian-Speaking world, laying foundations and training leaders. This has been a huge privilege for me, to see something start small and grow to over 150 churches across the Russian-Speaking world. As well as this I was responsible for overseeing the planting of churches in the part of the world known as the 10/40 Window. Part of my role in international ministry has caused me to think about how we send people into different cultures and contexts and as a result I have developed teaching on a range of cultural and contextualisation issues.
In recent years, there have been many changes to how Newfrontiers works. As a result, I began to lead Catalyst, a network of Churches which is part of Newfrontiers, before passing in on to Simon Holley and the team he leads in June 2017. I now have the privilege of leading the various apostolic leaders in what we are called to do together as Newfrontiers internationally, and in that context I lead the Newfrontiers Together Team.
When I find time to rest, I enjoy spending time with my wife, Scilla, to whom I’ve been married for 46 years, and our children and grandchildren. I also enjoy reading, current affairs, watching cricket and follow Birmingham FC, sometimes enjoyably, sometimes with despair.
We set up this website as a place where teaching material and recent sermons are available and where I can write about what I am doing and also share my thoughts on a variety of issues. I hope you find the content useful and beneficial!
You can also follow me on Twitter or on Facebook.
David